Rainy Days

By Christie Kelley

It’s a beautiful fall day as I write this blog. The temperature is about 52 degrees and it’s raining.

Yes, raining!

I love a nice cool rainy day. It makes me want to bake something aromatic like soup or maybe cookies. Soup would definitely be better for me, but there’s nothing like the smell of homemade gingersnap cookies filling the house. But that will have to wait for the afternoon. Right now, I’m sitting in my office, facing the windows, and writing this blog. After that, I will work on some edits for my proposal.

I seem to be doing more looking out the window than working today. The colorful leaves are still falling in my area of the country. I live in a neighborhood with mostly oak trees and the leaves seem to take forever to fall. Many times, it takes a big windstorm or the first snowfall to bring them down.

Rainy days are wonderfully relaxing, as long as you don’t have to go out in them. I love to put on the fireplace, grab a blanket, and read a fantastic romance novel. So maybe I’ll take the afternoon off, pull a book off my TBR pile, and enjoy the peace before the kids get home from school.

I really shouldn’t have written that last sentence. I jinxed myself! The school nurse just called. The 13 yr old needs to come from school early and then it’s back to the doctor’s office for another check on his throat. There goes my afternoon.

How about you? Do you enjoy a nice cool rainy day? What should I have done this afternoon, bake or read? Do you have a good soup recipe to share? And what’s on your TBR pile?

Since I’ve already started shopping for Christmas, I’m in a giving spirit. I’ll give away a copy of Scandal of the Season to one lucky person who comments on the blog today!Source URL: http://idontwanttobeanythingotherthanme.blogspot.com/search/label/Scandal%20of%20the%20Season
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Sarah MacLean's Bandita Booty!

Wow, did we have a fabulous day in the lair yesterday. Thanks to everyone who swung by to comment and join in all the LAMB-asting (just one more sheep joke and then I'll stop, I promise!). Sarah MacLean was a fantastic guest and I look forward to hosting her again next year.

Very generously, Sarah offered TWO prizes of two books each. Our lucky commenters each receive a signed copy of THE SEASON and their choice of a signed copy of either NINE RULES TO BREAK WHEN ROMANCING A RAKE or TEN WAY TO BE ADORED WHEN LANDING A LORD.

And the winners are (drumroll!)...

CAROL L!

KSQUARED!

Congratulations, girls. Please email Sarah on sarah @ macleanspace.com (no spaces) with your snail mail details and also telling her which book you'd like to win and she'll get your prizes off to you!Source URL: http://idontwanttobeanythingotherthanme.blogspot.com/search/label/Scandal%20of%20the%20Season
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Launch Party!!

It’s party time again in the lair.

Today we’re celebrating Christmas a little early with my October release, SCANDAL OF THE SEASON. So sit back and have the cabana boys bring you some eggnog or any other holiday drink. Sven has his Santa cap on and is giving out free massages.

Scandal of the Season is the book I’d wanted to write ever since I first started writing about a particular secondary character in my first book Every Night I’m Yours. As soon as I started interacting Anthony Somerton with some of the other characters in the book, I knew he must have his own story. Somerton is the most alpha hero I’ve written to date. He's a sarcastic rake who didn’t seem to care about anything. So I immediately knew there must be some dark secret he was keeping from everyone. And there was, it just took me a book or two to figure it out. (yeah, that's my muse for Somerton--Jensen Ackles from Supernatural)

But the issue that held me up was which of the spinsters would be a perfect match for him. Somehow, I just knew that the timid mouse, Victoria Seaton might just be his match. You wouldn’t expect a shy, retiring woman to match wits with a sarcastic rake, right? But Victoria isn’t what she seems. Her entire identity is a fraud, created to make her look better in the eyes of society. And she is far from the timid mouse everyone believes she is.

Here is the back cover for the book:

For ten years, Anthony Westfield, Viscount Somerton, hasn’t been able to forget the woman with whom he spent one scandalous night. When their paths cross again, he’s shocked to discover Victoria Seaton is an accomplished pickpocket. But Somerton leads a double life of his own. Working on an undercover assignment, he makes Victoria a proposition: pretend to be his mistress or risk ruin. Yet soon he’s tempted to turn their charade into reality—and surrender to an explosive passion…

Victoria can’t believe the man who almost destroyed her life a decade ago is now threatening to unravel her secrets. But posing as his mistress at a holiday country party is a game she can play well. For just one look into Somerton’s eyes still weakens her with lust. And with Christmas fast approaching, every kiss they share under the mistletoe only makes Victoria fall more deeply in love…

Now, sit back and tell me what holiday drink you’re enjoying today. While you’re at it, tell me what you think about alpha heroes— like them, hate them, why? And since it’s Christmas in October today, what do you want for holidays (whichever holiday you celebrate).

I'm giving away two copies of Scandal of the Season today. Just leave a comment for a chance to win!Source URL: http://idontwanttobeanythingotherthanme.blogspot.com/search/label/Scandal%20of%20the%20Season
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Shh, quiet please...

by Christie Kelley

Is the world getting noisier or am I just getting old and have no patience for it anymore? I live in a suburb fifteen miles outside of Baltimore. I always thought the suburbs were supposed to be quieter than living in the city. I’m not so sure any more.

I’m ten miles away from the Baltimore airport so I usually see and hear planes passing overhead. After eleven years, I’m almost used to that sound. But it’s the other noises that are getting me lately. When the wind blows in the right direction, I get the lovely sound of trucks and motorcycles from the highway. Actually, I rarely hear the trucks but the motorcycles are constant on nice evenings.

Then there is the sound of chainsaws. I live in a neighborhood that is filled with old oak trees. So the sound of people having their trees either trimmed or cut down happens on a regular basis. And if there’s a storm, the next day is nothing but chainsaws.

The other night, my husband and I went out on the deck to sit in the hot tub. We couldn’t put on music because even the katydids were so loud we wouldn’t have been able to hear the music (no kidding, this is true). Even the bugs are getting louder!

So what set me off today? It’s a beautiful day here and I can actually open the windows in my office. It’s great, except for the noise of my neighbor’s jackhammer because he’s ripping up his sidewalk. Then there’s the sound of sirens. Five times I’ve heard sirens going up on the main road (it’s only 1pm). I can’t write with all the noises going on around me. I just wanted to open the windows to let the breeze in and hear the birds singing.

Now that I’m through venting (thank you for that), do you feel that the world is getting louder? Does noise bother you? How do you cope with the noise in your life? I received my author copies of Scandal of the Season, so I’m giving away a copy to one lucky person today. Just answer my questions or feel free to vent about something bugging you.

I’m also running a contest on my website for a chance to win a free copy of Scandal of the Season. Pop over to www.christiekelley.com for the details.Source URL: http://idontwanttobeanythingotherthanme.blogspot.com/search/label/Scandal%20of%20the%20Season
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Summer Vacation

by Christie Kelley

I know it’s only April but already I’m dreaming of summer vacation. Between finishing my fifth book and blogging all over the web for my release of SOMETHING SCANDALOUS, I’m tired. I caught my first full-blown cold in a couple of years last week. I need to get away. Since I can’t go anywhere yet, I thought maybe if we talked about our vacation plans that would make me feel better.

My husband and I had planned to take our kids to Iceland this year. We thought we would have a fun time touring the small country and maybe get some hiking in.

Hmm, has anybody seen pictures of Iceland this week? Big volcano blowing ash and sending lava down toward the sea, I don’t think so! When we first heard about the volcano becoming active again back in February, we decided it might be best to change our plans.

Then we thought about going to Scotland or Ireland with the boys. Until we checked the airfare and the exchange rates and decided that wasn’t going to happen this year. And as I write this on Thursday, that darned volcano in Iceland is disrupting air travel all over the British Isles. I think we made another good choice.

So we decided this wasn’t our year to go to Europe. We asked our oldest where he’d like to go (this is partly to celebrate his high school graduation) and he said a cruise!

A cruise?


Really?

We hadn’t thought about that as an option. We started checking into it and quickly decided this was a fantastic idea. One of the biggest draws of a cruise is simply that we don’t have to fly!! We found a great 9-day Caribbean cruise that departs from Baltimore. I can be in Baltimore in fifteen minutes.

Now come July, I’ll have 9 days to relax on a ship. We’ll be visiting St. Thomas, San Juan, Dominican Republic and one of the cruise line’s islands. I get back just a few days before Nationals so I will be tanned and
relaxed for Nashville. I really can’t wait for July!

But back to reality for just a minute, I received the cover for my October release, SCANDAL OF THE SEASON and wanted to share it with you.


For ten years, Anthony Westfield, Viscount Somerton, hasn’t been able to forget the woman with whom he spent one scandalous night. When their paths cross again, he’s shocked to discover Victoria Seaton is an accomplished pickpocket. But Somerton leads a double life of his own. Working on an undercover assignment, he makes Victoria a proposition: pretend to be his mistress or risk ruin. Yet soon he’s tempted to turn their charade into reality—and surrender to an explosive passion…


Victoria can’t believe the man who almost destroyed her life a decade ago is now threatening to unravel her secrets. But posing as his mistress at a holiday country party is a game she can play well. For just one look into Somerton’s eyes still weakens her with lust. And with Christmas fast approaching, every kiss they share under the mistletoe only makes Victoria fall more deeply in love…

Now I want to hear about your vacation plans. Do you have big plans? Maybe a staycation this year? I’d love to hear about it!

Since I’m still celebrating my release of SOMETHING SCANDALOUS, I will give one copy to someone who comments today. Source URL: http://idontwanttobeanythingotherthanme.blogspot.com/search/label/Scandal%20of%20the%20Season
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